Sepultura Show Shut Down in Egypt

Internationally touring bands routinely encounter obstacles overseas, ranging from visa issues, missing paperwork and proper permits, and, for metal bands, the hostility faced in religious countries. Whether a band is truly Satanic or not, common misconceptions and stereotypes prevail, seeming to be the case for Sepultura's canceled show in Cairo, Egypt.

The Brazilian thrash heroes were slated to perform their first ever show in Egypt at the Nile Country Club in Cairo, but police swarmed the venue prior to the concert's start, demanding to see the proper paperwork according to Ahram Online. The crowd was asked to disperse and the band was told to remove their equipment from the venue. Organizers immediately began working on an alternate solution, moving the show to a villa in Sheikh Zayed.

Among the organizers was Nader Sadek, the visionary of the death metal outfit which assumes the same name. When asked to present a list of permissions, Sadek was only able to produce permissions from the Musicians Syndicate. As Blabbermouth reports, Hani Shaker, singer and head of the Musicians Syndicate, was informed of the show, stating, "The devil worshippers were dressed in a very weird style and drew their makeup in the shape of a pentagram. They wore leather jackets with stars on the back and that is strange."

Eyewitnesses also claim that Sadek and another organizer were taken into police custody for further interrogation. Meanwhile, a private newspaper, Al-Watan, ran a story about the event under the headline "Police Thwart Satanists Concert."

Sepultura are not the only band to face this issue. In April earlier this year, Belphegor entered Russia to perform a series of shows. Frontman Helmuth was accosted by a Russian Christian Orthodox member who spat in his face and attempted to escalate the situation. Belphegor encountered more problems when they were met with censorship demands and ultimately the cancelation of shows.

See Where Sepultura's Albums Landed on the Top 90 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1990s